


Puppies

by LarirenShadow



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015), Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, BB 8 and BBHate are dogs, Dogs, F/M, Fluff, Pumpkin Spice, Puppies, now they're roommates, so much of it, there's finally smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-09
Updated: 2017-12-31
Packaged: 2018-12-25 17:13:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 18,080
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12040497
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LarirenShadow/pseuds/LarirenShadow
Summary: On a crisp autumn day Rey and Ben meet in the park while walking their dogs.  Things don't exactly go smoothly.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to [politicalmamaduck](https://archiveofourown.org/users/politicalmamaduck/pseuds/politicalmamaduck) for beta'ing this! I got the idea from a picture of Kylo with a corgi.

Rey felt like she was the living embodiment of Instagram. It was fall, and leaves covered the ground in reds and golds, perfect for stepping on. In one hand she held her pumpkin spice latte, in the other the leash for her orange cuddle monster, BB, in her left. The sleeves of her pearl grey sweater kept trying to cover her hands but Rey didn't mind. All she cared about was her coffee and how many leaves she could crunch with her second hand Uggs.

BB had other ideas. She'd read up on corgis as soon as Poe had mentioned bringing one home. They needed long walks and toys to keep them engaged if they were going to be kept in apartments. Naturally, their apartment was now littered with corgi hair and dog toys. Finn complained when he tripped over one on his way to work in the morning, but then BB would come to say goodbye to him and all annoyance would be forgotten. They'd tried to take turns with walkies but Rey's schedule was much more open than either Finn or Poe's. The joy, she'd joked, of being a grad student with two part time jobs.

While her first job--an IT call service that only had a handful of customers who called when they had issues with their electronics-- was good work, she had to supplement her income with a secondary job. The botanical garden had been nice enough to employ her in the greenhouse, where she could tend to as many plants as she wanted. They even let her take BB with her when he insisted walkies shouldn’t end. The “make your own hours” attitude they had also suited her perfectly. She contemplated heading over there now; BB was in a happy mood and would love to run around, but her leggings weren’t exactly dirt friendly.

Her phone buzzed in her purse and she tried to balance her coffee on top of the leash. As she tried to dig it out, she didn’t notice the person approaching from the opposite direction.

~*~*~

Ben Solo, sometimes called Kylo Ren depending on how you knew him, was reluctantly beginning to like taking his dog on lunchtime walks. Nines was always waiting for him when he returned home, but today with her leash in her mouth, ready to go. It felt oddly good knowing that there was something waiting for him.

He wasn’t much of an animal person, or so he claimed. Yet when his mother gifted him Nines he’d, well, been enamored. Not that he admitted it to anyone (save his mother). The little corgi even had a black back to go with her white legs, which his mother pointed out was just like him when he was in high school with his black shorts and stark white legs. His mother had told him a dog would be good for him and he’d, well, listened to her as much as he had before. 

Yet here he was, black jacket over his red shirt, suede shoes crunching leaves as Nines walked happily ahead of him. He’d been a little miffed when she’d ignored her expensive dog toys in favor of his shoes, but she’d wormed her way into his heart. Hence lunchtime walkies.

He’d read that corgis needed socializing and he was considering taking her to the dog run after he circled it again. He didn’t want any “accidents” with Nines; his mother insisted that he not fix her for a few years in case she wanted to breed her. Just because Grandma Breha and Grandpa Bail had breed corgis didn’t mean he had to follow in that vein. Leia, however, was insistent and he couldn’t tell his mother no (he found very creative ways to do so without actually saying no during his teenage years).

On his walks with Nines he’d see people eyeing him and he’d glare back. So what if he was over six feet tall and walking a tiny corgi. This dog curled up on his feet at night, which was better than anyone else he’d ever met.

“Calm down,” he muttered to the dog as she tugged at the leash, yet again. She’d been trying her hardest to run as soon as they’d entered the park. “Nines,” he chided. She seemed to slow down and he let her guide him through the park, deciding now was a good time to check his work email. 

He typed out a reply to a particularly brusque email, knowing the project counted on his close care to be effective. He hated this part of his job; it seemed like corporate babysitting, but it was why he was a sought after consulting project manager. While he got angry everyone knew he was in charge and listened to what he said the after the first week. It was a gift, some claimed.

Kylo Ren said it was just discipline, Ben Solo knew it was years of trying to control his own temper that helped. 

He hit send and was about to put his phone in his pocket when someone ran into him.

~*~*~

“Shit!” Rey screamed as she lost hold of her coffee. It was her treat of the week and she was hoping to enjoy it just a little longer.

“Why weren’t you looking where you were going?” A deep voice said. Rey looked up into the stranger’s dark, angry eyes as he brushed the spreading coffee stain on his shirt. 

“I could say the same to you!” She said angrily. “It takes two to collide.” She pointed her finger at him. “You were on your phone as well.”

“Yes, but I was answering a work email, what were you doing? Updating your status on Facebook?”

She rolled her eyes. “I was texting my advisor to confirm our meeting later today, if you must know. Don’t assume you know who I am.”

“I do know you’ll be paying for a new shirt.”

Rey scoffed. “Because you can’t keep your eyes open while you walk?”

“Because you ran into me!”

“I did not!”

“Did too!”

“You sound like a child!”

Rey watched the man straighten his back. He seemed to grow two inches. She wasn’t short by any means but she suddenly was aware of how others must feel around her. “Give me your number.”

“Excuse me?” She asked.

“Give me your number so I can call you about the shirt. I don’t have all day to stay here arguing with you about this.”

“Fine!” Rey gave him her number and reached to grab her phone to see his. Which was when she realized she also dropped BB’s leash. “Shit!”

“What?”

“My dog!”

She watched the man’s eyes go wide. “Nines!”

“BB, not Nines.”

“No, my dog.”

“You have a dog?”

“Not the point. Nines?” He called.

Rey looked around, hoping BB hadn’t gone far. She scanned the area and saw a bush move. It wasn’t windy, so she ran over. “BB, no!” She screamed as she peered in the bush.

“Nines, no!” Was about as loud as her scream.

Neither command had any effect. BB kept happily pounding away while Nines panted. Rey covered her eyes. This was a sight she’d hoped she would never see.

“This is all your fault,” the man said.

“Why is it my fault?”

“Because you have a boy dog!”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you again to politicalmamaduck for betaing this!

Ben’s finger hoovered over the call icon, while his other hand twirled the business card Rey had given him. He had been hoping this whole thing would blow over. It had been a week since the park incident, but sadly, it hadn’t. Nines licked his other hand, whimpering. “This is partially your fault,” he said. She tilted her head to the side before licking his hand again. He pressed the call button.

His heel kept tapping the floor as he waited for the girl to pick up. “Hello?” The person said.

“This is Rey?”

“Yes, this is Rey Niima, are you calling with a computer question?” She asked, her voice going up an octave and becoming a little more sing song. He secretly hated when people used this voice on the phone.

“No, I’m Nines’ owner, Ben.” He waited for her to respond. After he waited longer than it should have taken her he added, “I took her to the vet earlier-”

“Is she ok? Do I have to take BB?” Rey interrupted. He could hear the worry in her voice and found it kind of endearing.

“BB should be fine-”

“Oh good-”

“Nines is pregnant.”

There was silence then: “Who the hell doesn’t fix their dog?”

“Says the woman with an unfixed dog!”

“We were asked to wait a few months before fixing him!”

Ben took his phone away from his ear to look at it. He couldn’t believe what he’d just heard. Considering the week he’d had he shouldn’t be surprised. “You should schedule that.”

“Fine. Is there anything else you wanted?”

Nines whimpered again. “My dog has been listless since the incident.”

“I’m sorry-”

“I think she misses BB.”

“Oh, well, uh.”

“Could they go on a walk together? She’s sad.” That sounded pathetic to even him. The problem was he was attached to the furball and the fact that she was sad was making him feel the same. 

“Sure, I guess.”

“Great, are you free in about an hour?”

“Yeah-”

“Meet me by the same bush where this all started.”

“That’s a little vague-”

“See you in an hour, Rey.” Ben hung up the phone at that. He had one more call to make and wanted to make sure he had a definite end time.

“Ben, are you in jail?” His mother asked when she answered the phone.

“You call collect from jail,” Ben said. 

“Ben,” Leia scolded. 

“I’m just calling to say you’re going to be a grandmother.” Ben could picture his mother’s face. He knew this was on the verge of being rude, but his mother did give him the dog.

“Who did you get pregnant and why have I not met her?” Leia demanded.

“You’ve met her. It’s Nines,” he said calmly.

“Ben, I told you to be careful at the dog park! She’s going to have mutts-”

“Corgis,” Ben corrected.

“What?”

“The father is also a corgi. And I haven’t taken her to the dog park yet, mostly because it’s filled with obsessive dog people and I can’t stand them.”

“You’re about to have puppies. You have no idea how much work this is going to be.”

“I know,” Ben said, “which is why I’m calling. Can you help?”

Ben could almost see his mother’s eyes tearing up. “You want my help?” 

He shrugged before realizing she couldn’t see. “Yeah. You told me all about how Grandma Breha and Grandpa Bail raised corgis and I figured you would be able to answer my questions.”

“Oh, Ben, of course.”

“Thanks Mom.”

“But the next time you call me to tell me I’m a grandmother you better mean about a baby and I’ve already met the woman.”

“I have to take Nines for a walk with her baby daddy now, love you, bye.” He hung up and looked down at his dog. “Your grandma is probably going to visit soon.” She barked and wagged her tail in response. 

He stood and tried to brush the dog hair off his dark jeans before giving up. He grabbed his black coat and Nine’s leash before motioning to the door with his head. Nines scurried over, happy to be going out. “It’s time for your date,” he told her. She wagged her tail in response before pawing at the door.

Rey was waiting for him when he arrived at the park, kicking leaves with her scuffed sneaker. Today’s sweater was a faded taupe and he idly wondered if she owned anything other than sweaters. He watched her pull her phone out of her jeans pocket, checking it while she held on to BB’s leash with a white knuckled grip. 

Before he could say anything, BB barked and pulled at the leash. “BB,” he heard Rey say before looking up. “Oh, hi Ben,” she said with a little wave.

“Rey, BB,” he said. Nines pulled at her leash until she was close enough for BB to lick her. He seemed to be content to groom Nines, which was oddly fascinating to Ben. “Do we wait for them to be done?”

Rey bit her lip. “I guess. I’m not sure if this is even normal.”

“No. Thanks for calling me though; I hadn’t told my roommates about this yet.”

“You haven’t?”

She shock her head. “Technically BB is all our dog, but I didn’t think it would be a big deal. He just likes me better because I take him out more.”

“Self employment lends itself to a flexible schedule.”

Rey hummed in agreement. “It does, so does working part time at a greenhouse. It works really well with my class schedule.”

“You’re in college?” He could have sworn she was older than that but, then again, maybe she was going back to school.

“Grad school,” she corrected. “This semester I just have one actual class and the other credits are writing my thesis.”

“Ah. Nines, come on, you need to walk.” Nines made an annoyed noise he usually associated with her food bowl being empty, but she started walking all the same. BB joined her, falling in step beside his companion. “What are you studying?”

“Engineering, but I’ve also taken as many physics classes as they’d let me.”

“That’s, just, wow.” He hadn’t been expecting that.

“Thought it would be something like cultural studies, right?”

“No,” he said quickly. He’d honestly thought business, as in his opinion it was most practical, but he wasn’t going to say that.

“So what do you do?”

“I’m a project manager, but I mostly do contract work. I’ve fostered enough of a reputation that companies come to me now.” He didn’t mention what that entailed; he needed to be nice so Nines could keep seeing BB.

“Cool,” she said. “So, why a corgi?”

“My mother gave her to me. Same question.”

“BB was a gift too. What does your significant other think of Nines?”

“The only more direct way you could ask if I’m dating someone is if you said it.”

“Are you?”

“Why do you care?”

“It sounds like Nines wants BB around. I want to make sure we don’t come over at an inopportune time.”

“Too many times walking in on your roommate in college?” Rey nodded. He finally noticed her hair was up in three buns as opposed to one. Odd but nice. “You don’t have to worry, I’m single.”

“Okay. Me too, B. T. W..”

“You just say B T dub.”

“Grow up.”

BB took that moment to do his business. Rey bent down to pick up his mess and tied it neatly in a bag. Ben admired her; sometimes if Nines went off the path to do her business he just walked away. “I just think it’s a little bit plebian to say that.”

“Fancy words, but I’ll keep saying what I want with friends. I know perfectly well when to speak properly.”

“You think I’m your friend?”

“I think we’re going to have puppies together and I’m going to be seeing a lot of you over the next eight weeks.”

“How did you know it would be eight weeks?”

Rey smiled. “Google.” Ben felt himself smile at that.

They circled back to the bush again in silence, BB nudging Nines every so often. Ben had to admit this was the happiest he’d seen Nines in the past week. 

“I should head back,” Rey said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

“Let me walk you back.” Rey raised her eyebrow at him. “Nines gets more time with BB.”

“Right. Sure.”

It wasn’t far to her apartment. He did admire that she lived in a fifth floor walk up. He ended up picking up Nines after the second floor as she wasn’t keeping up with BB and whining about it. “My roommates might be home,” Rey said as she slide the key into the lock. The door opened without her doing anything else and Ben was slightly shocked at the man who answered.

“Rey, you said you were going to walk BB, but that was a while-” the man grabbed Rey’s arm and pulled her inside. “What the hell, Rey??”

“What are you doing, Finn?” She demanded as she tugged her arm out of his grasp.

“This is the guy I who made my life hell for weeks! This is Kylo Ren!”

“I see my reputation proceeds me,” Ben said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've done a little research about corgis but that is coming into play in later chapters. I'm glad everyone likes this as its really fun to write!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Always thank you to politicalmamaduck for betaing this!

Rey glanced between Ben and Finn. Nines’ dad just happened to be the same man who Finn had agonized about for four months before the bastard left. Finn ended up leaving that company a month after that, but that was beside the point. This man was apparently the Devil incarnate. She turned to Ben. “You’re Kylo Ren?”

“I told you what I do,” he said. He seemed so much less threatening holding a corgi in his arms. 

“You told me your name is Ben.”

“It is. More people listen to Kylo than Ben, so I just kept with it. Makes taxes a little bit of a headache, but other than that it’s fine.”

“That is the strangest thing anyone has ever said. Why are you holding a dog?” Finn asked.

“Nines couldn’t keep up with BB.”

“Are they friends?”

Rey had wanted to tell Finn and Poe what happened that night; she hadn’t yet mentioned the incident from a week ago. That plan had to change, though. “Sort of. See, about a week ago, BB met Nines, and remember how we’ve been meaning to schedule the appointment to get BB fixed?” Finn nodded. “It came back to bite us. Nines is going to have puppies.”

“Are you sure BB is the father?”

“BB is the only dog that’s made her acquaintance like that, so yes, BB is the father,” Ben said as he adjusted the dog. Rey decided not to mention the growing patch of drool on Ben’s arm. “I’m going to go. Rey, I think Nines would like it if BB could go on a walk with her tomorrow.”

“Sure, text me the time. Bye!” She waved as she pulled BB fully inside and shut the door. He scratched at it a little before sitting and waiting for his leash to be unhooked. Rey did so and gave his ears a scratch before sitting on the couch. “So, that’s Kylo Ren,” she said.

“Rey, he’s truly horrible. I cannot stress that enough,” Finn said as he paced in front of her. Rey thought his lecture was a little less convincing, considering he was in a dirty sweatshirt and gym shorts and she’d heard it on repeat for months before.

“I’ve heard, I don’t need the remix. He’s been perfectly nice so far and just wants what’s best for for his dog,” Rey said, leaning back.

“Just be careful.” He turned to look at BB. “You too. For all you know your girlfriend could leave you as soon as the puppies are born.” BB tipped his head to the side and let his tongue hang out.

“We’ll both keep that in mind. If you’re finished, I should probably get some writing done.”

“Sure, but it’s also your turn to make dinner, and you’re going to have to tell Poe his precious puppy is going to be a daddy.”

“Still gives me an hour to write,” she said with a sigh. 

Rey got about a half a page done before quitting to make dinner. She wasn’t in the mood to do anything elaborate (nor did they have anything that would lend itself to that). Pasta it was, complete with meat sauce. She texted Finn and Poe when finished, pasta and sauce on the table. The boys ambled in, BB following in their footsteps. She’d filled his bowl too so they could all eat together.

“Rey has something to tell you,” Finn said as he sat down and started serving everyone.

“Did you meet a boy?” Poe joked.

Rey kicked Finn under the table. “Not really. Last week, BB and I were on a walk and he met another corgi. One thing lead to another and they, well, did it like they do on the Discovery Channel in the bushes. BB is going to be a daddy,” she finished.

“Come again?” Poe said.

“Oh, it gets better,” Finn added.

“Nines, the corgi he met, is pregnant. She’s apparently sad that BB isn’t with her all the time. We’re going to go on walks together.”

“We’re?” Poe asked.

Rey nodded. “Me, BB, Nines, and Ben.”

“Kylo,” Finn corrected.

“He told me his name is Ben.”

“Why does he have two names?” Poe asked.

“Something business related,” Rey said with a wave of her hand. “Point is we’re going to be in this together because, well, these are going to be BB’s puppies too.”

Finn and Poe looked down at their plates, moving around their food. Rey kept her head up, waiting for them to say something. They were a little protective of her when it came to relationships outside of their friend group but she knew they meant well. 

“Will we have to go on walks too?” Finn finally asked.

“Not unless you want to,” Rey said. “I think BB would like it and you might want to get to know Nines.”

“We’ll see. How’s your thesis going?” Poe asked. Rey shoved a large forkful of pasta in her mouth. She was mostly on schedule, but didn’t really want to talk about it. “That good then.” Rey nodded.

The boys did the dishes since she made dinner, which left Rey to take BB out for his quick evening walk. “You couldn’t have picked someone else’s dog to do that with, could you?” Rey asked as they walked. BB didn’t seem to hear her, instead he stopped to sniff a tree.

The next day Rey met Ben at their spot. He was wearing all black today, which made her wonder if he owned anything in other colors besides that red shirt she’d spilled coffee on. 

“Did you come from the gym?” he asked.

Rey looked down at her charcoal grey sweatshirt and yoga pants. “Just comfortable,” she replied. BB happily licked Nines. “Do you own other colors beside black?”

“Touche. I do, but I like black. It matches Nines.” That was unexpected. She didn’t expect him to want to match the mostly black dog. She didn’t try to match BB’s orange. They did the same route as the day before, although this time Rey noticed that BB started barking at other dogs when they tried to get close to Nines. She thought it was kind of cute.

“Same time tomorrow?” She asked when they reached the bush again.

“Actually, Nines has a vet appointment tomorrow,” Ben said.

“Maybe the next day-”

“Could you come?”

“What?”

“To the vet. I don’t think BB needs to come, but since you’re probably going to want to see the puppies it might be a good idea to go.”

“I think I can go,” she said hesitantly. 

“Great! I’ll text you the address and time.” Ben waved as he tugged Nines away. 

Rey looked down at BB, who was sitting calmly by her side. “I’m going to the vet for a dog I don’t even own because of you.” BB barked in response before rubbing his head on her leg.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I may be making Rey's shirt colors very specific and if anyone gets it let me know


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to politicalmamaduck, as always, for betaing this!
> 
> [And check out this awesome artwork that kapkeyknudols drew for this!](https://kapkeyknudols.tumblr.com/post/165431902551/eheemm-cant-resist-making-it-reylo-kisses-and) AAAAHHHH!!!

Ben did not make it a point to wear his one blue shirt today. He just happened to pull the shirt out of his closet this morning. That was all--or at least that’s what he told himself. He’d had a productive meeting earlier about the project he had almost finished. He was guessing First Order Industries was going to offer him a full time position, as this was the seventh project they’d used him for. He generally worked well with them and they were very flexible with his hours because he got the job done. He wasn’t sure about the company culture, but he could always turn down the offer.

Nines sat in his lap while he waited for the vet to call them back and for Rey to arrive. She was usually on time for their walks; she had been for the past two, at least. She didn’t seem like the type of person to run late. 

The door flew open and Rey barged in, face slightly red, the sleeves of her frost grey shirt up around her elbows. “Stupid bus,” she said as she flopped into the seat next to Ben. “I got so fed up with sitting in traffic I got off at the first stop I could and ran the rest of the way.”

“Hello to you too,” Ben said. Nines made her way into Rey’s lap and tried to lick her face. “Nines, no!”

“It’s all right,” Rey said with a laugh. “She’s getting to know me.”

“Give her treats and she’ll adore you. Her favorite is chicken,” Ben said as he reached over to scratch the dog’s ears. 

“Something else you and BB have in common.”

“He likes chicken?”

“I’ve never seen any other living being more persistent in the pursuit of food than BB when a piece of chicken falls on the floor.”

“Nines Solo?” The receptionist called.

Ben stood and picked up Nines. He knew she could walk, but this was just easier. Rey followed after them into the room. Ben set Nines down on the examination table and scratched her butt to keep her there. He saw Rey watching him from her seat on the bench against the back wall of the room. “What?” He asked.

“You’re good with her,” she said.

“You expected something else?”

“No, it’s just nice to see.”

The vet came in a few minutes later. “There’s the gorgeous girl,” she cooed. “I got her tests back, and she’s not a carrier for degenerative myelopathy. To be sure the puppies aren’t in danger, I do need to know if the sire has been tested.”

Ben looked at Rey. Her eyes were wide. “Uh, I’m not sure if BB has, whatever that is.”

“BB is?” The vet asked.

“My corgi,” Rey clarified. “The other half of the puppies.”

“Ah, well, we can do the test here.”

Rey bit her lip. “Do you take pet health insurance?”

The vet smiled. “Of course. Who’s BB’s vet at the moment?”

“The one in the Petco,” Rey said. She put her head in her hands. “That sounds horrible.”

“It’s not. There’s nothing wrong with taking your dog there. Now let’s take a listen to Nines’ heart and lungs.” Ben watched as the vet checked Nines, his leg bouncing the whole time. “She sounds good, and I can hear the puppies. Sometimes corgis have false pregnancies, but it doesn’t look like that’s the case.”

“I didn’t even know that was possible,” Ben said. 

“It can happen. What I would also recommend is that she’s monitored closely towards the end of her pregnancy. Corgis can need caesarian sections to deliver.” Ben hadn’t noticed that he’d made a fist until Rey put her hand over his. “I’m sure Nines will be all right.”

“We’ll make sure to bring her in at the first sign of any distress,” Rey said, squeezing Ben’s hand. He looked down at their hands and tried to think of something to say while resisting the urge to yank his hand away from hers.

“Nines should come in about once a week. If it will work better for you, we can schedule a joint appointment with the other dog,” the vet offered.

“I can bring BB in next week, I think.”

“Good. I'll see you two next week.” She scratched Nines’ ears before leaving.

Ben quickly stood up and hooked Nines’ leash to her collar. She’d always been good about going to the vet, and she just looked up at him with her tongue hanging out. “You were a very good girl for the vet,” he told her before picking her up and putting her on the floor.

“I can't make this time next week,” Rey said.

“Why?”

“Advisor meeting.”

“We can pick a different time or if one of your roommates-”

“They wouldn't want to. I'm sure there's a time I can make.”

They went out and scheduled the appointment. Ben stood awkwardly outside the vet with Nines trotting around his feet. He wasn't sure what to do since Rey hadn't mentioned needing to go yet. “I was going to walk home,” he finally said.

“Sounds good. Did you want to meet up for a walk tomorrow?” She asked.

“Sure, same time and place.”

“I'll be there.”

Rey was there the next day, waiting with a drink carrier and two coffee cups. He eyed them wearily, remembering the sickeningly sweet pumpkin spice that covered his shirt at their first meeting. “Don’t give me that look; yours is plain black coffee. I have sugar and creamer in my pocket if you need it,” she said. 

“This is...nice,” he said, taking the cup closest to him from the carrier. 

“You seemed upset yesterday at the possibility of losing Nines. I thought I’d bring you something today.”

“Thanks.”

They started on their walk after Rey stopped by a trash can to throw out the carrier. They didn’t say much, unless it was to one of the dogs. 

“I’m worried for her too,” Rey finally said.

“She’s not even your dog,” Ben replied.

He looked over to see how she’d respond but was surprised she was looking ahead rather than at him. “I know,” she said softly, “but I also know c-sections can be dangerous.”

“Oh?”

She stopped walking and bent down to pet BB. “My mother died of complications from one,” she said softly, her voice muffled by his fur.

“I’m sorry,” Ben said awkwardly.

“Thanks. It’s not a usual thing but, well, I guess I’m trying to say it’s hard, and I hope it won’t happen to Nines.”

Ben bent down so he was level with her. “I hope it doesn’t too. I still can’t believe I’m as attached to this furball as my mom said I would be.”

Rey smiled. “They do make you love them, don’t they?”

Ben looked her in the eyes and nodded. “They do.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~~Also no one got about the colors...they're RIT dye colors you use for Rey costumes.~~


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always thank you politicalmamaduck for betaing and listening to me discuss the story!

Rey tried not to notice the orange hair on her black pants and evening blue shirt, pretending like she didn’t dress up specifically to see Ben. BB was oblivious to his shedding; he was too busy looking out the bus window with glee as they got closer to Ben’s vet. She’d called her regular vet earlier and had him call the new one to send over BB’s file. There had never been an issue with him before, he was up to date on all his shots and nothing had seemed out of the ordinary. There was the reminder to get him fixed, which, in hindsight would have been a good thing to do as soon as BB had gone to the vet the first time. Rey had also wanted the boys to commit to helping with BB’s recovery before scheduling.

Rey got a good grip on BB before she stood and pulled the stop request. As soon as she was off the bus she let BB down, who quickly ran to the nearest tree to sniff it. “You’re going to make us late,” she said as she pulled on his leash. He huffed, scratched at the ground a little before following her lead.

Rey looked in the windows of the vet, hoping Ben was there so she wouldn’t have to wait alone. 

“What are you doing?” She jumped at Ben’s voice.

“Seeing if you were in there, but I guess this answers my question,” she replied. “Ready to go in?”

“Sure.”

“Oh,” he reached into his jacket and pulled out a bottle of coffee. She grinned when she noticed the festive bright orange pumpkin. “For you.”

“You hate pumpkin spice and you still got it for me?”

“I said I would never order it, ever. Which I still haven’t.”

“You can be nice if you want to. Now come on, BB needs a blood test.” She pulled BB away from Nines, who was currently laying on the ground, happily letting BB lick her.

Once checked in, Rey kept tapping her foot, waiting for the vet to call her in. “You aren’t good at waiting,” Ben said as he put a hand on her leg to stop it from moving. She didn’t flinch; over the past week of walks together, they’d ended up grabbing each other’s arms for one reason or another. It had become a familiar sensation.

“I’m very good at waiting,” she muttered. “I just have had four cups of coffee already today and another in my hand.” Ben tried to grab the bottle from her at that and she leaned out of his reach. “Don’t you dare.”

“I’m not giving you your fifth cup of coffee-”

“BB doesn’t bite, but I do. Take it and you will be injured.” Rey felt a slight smidgen of satisfaction as he pulled back. She tried to stop her leg from shaking, but it was useless. She’d gone to the greenhouse yesterday afternoon and let time get away from her. Combining that with staying up until 3 am finishing a presentation for her morning class and getting up for said class made her a little on edge. 

She felt Ben watching her as BB’s name was called in for his check up. The vet cooed over the dog and Rey felt a tiny bit of pride over how well behaved he was. She crossed her legs and her foot jiggled as the vet led BB out of the room for the blood test.

“You are going to crash soon,” Ben warned.

“This is the last thing I have to do today. If I have to crash at least I’m through most of the day.” She tried to hide a yawn at that. She could usually survive without sleep but today her body was deciding to go against her wishes.

“You’re going to take the bus home?” She nodded. “How about-”

“All done!” The vet said as she led BB back in. He immediately went over to Nines and sat next to her. “Since this is an unusual case we’re going to rush the results, no charge. We just want to make sure the puppies are all right.”

“Thank you,” Rey said as she crouched down to put BB’s leash on. She yawned again and stood, feeling slightly light headed.

Outside the vet office Rey nervously brushed a piece of hair behind her ear. “I guess I’ll go.”

“We could go for our walk,” Ben offered.

“Maybe we can skip a day,” she suggested.

“Why?” Ben asked. Rey thought he sounded a little hurt.

“I think you were right about me crashing. Plus I should get something to eat-”

“My apartment isn’t that far,” Ben said. Rey’s eyebrows shot up. She watched his neck go red. “Why did your mind go there?”

“I’m not the one who offered their apartment up to a stranger.”

“You’re hardly a stranger.”

“Fine, I guess I’m not but really-”

“Rey,” he said abruptly. “You look tired. I’ve heard you talk about your schedule and if you go home you’re not going to sleep. Things aren’t the best of your abilities if you’re tired.”

“I’ve heard the lecture-”

“It also gives BB and Nines time together.”

“That’s just mean using the dogs for your argument.”

“You won’t have to sleep on a bus.”

Rey held up her hand. “All right, that wins. Lead the way.”

Rey wasn’t sure what she expected Ben’s apartment to be like, but at least she was right about the building having an elevator. The hardwood floors weren’t much of a surprise, but the surprisingly well decorated interior was. The couch was a pleasing brown that had a matching recliner off to the side. The dining room table was just behind it, dark wood against the white walls. The only decorations were antique maps. The only clutter was the occasional dog toy.

“This is surprisingly clean,” Rey commented as she sat down on the couch. 

“Not all guys are messy,” Ben said. “If you’re going to nap on the couch at least take off your shoes.” Rey did as she was told and toed off her shoes. BB and Nines had settled themselves in Nines’ dog bed, BB happily licking his mate. “Also, I hope you like cold pizza.”

“That is typical.”

Ben took a seat in the arm chair after giving her a slice of congealed pizza. “Warming up won’t help it.”

“Warmed up leftover pizza tastes terrible anyway,” Rey said before taking a bite. “I was expecting the vet to lecture us about fixing our dogs. I’ve heard it at Petco, but Finn and Poe keep trying to pick the best time to schedule it and we just get into an argument about taking BB.”

Ben snorted. “She’s been lecturing me since I brought Nines in for her first check up. My grandparents used to breed corgis, and my mother was worried I was too much of a loner so she got me Nines. Part of that was asking if I could wait to fix her, in case my mother wanted to breed her. My roommate wasn’t too thrilled with the dog, but he’s only living here in address only.”

“Oh?” Rey asked, mouth full of pizza.

“He’s living with his girlfriend. They’re pretty serious and they’re constantly fighting about if he should sign on to her lease when it’s up in two months or find a new place. I’m just waiting for him to move his shit out so I can post the room.”

“I’ll have to meet any prospective roommates.”

Ben raised an eyebrow. “Why?”

“Because I’ll be bringing BB over to see the puppies. I think I might even want to see them sometimes.”

“I never even thought of that. I’d been researching what it means to take care of them on my own.”

“I’m sure you’d like help.”

“Yeah, that would be nice.” 

Rey put down her pizza on the glass coffee table and laid down. “Happy to help,” she mumbled before drifting off to sleep.

She awoke to a crick in her neck and the smell of greasy Chinese food. “I got food,” Ben said from his chair, plate full of rice and what looked like General Tso’s chicken. She looked at the open boxes on the table and the plate neatly set in front of her.

“You eat Chinese off a plate?” She asked, before picking up a pot sticker.

“Usually people use plates to eat.”

Rey snorted. “Not with this. You eat out of the carton you want and then go to the next one when you’ve had your fill of that dish.”

“Try it,” Ben suggested, “that way you get the sauce from the chicken on the rice.”

Rey wasn’t so sure, but could give it a shot. Smug bastard was right, she admitted to herself as she used the last bits of her fried rice to soak up the extra sauce on her plate. 

Ben got up and put his plate in the kitchen sink. Rey watched as he leaned back against the sink and crossed his arms. “So I was thinking-”

“Did you strain yourself? BB no!” She tapped BB’s nose to stop him from trying to get at the food on the table.

“Very funny. You said you wanted to help with the puppies, right?” 

“Of course.”

“And you agree that BB and Nines seem happier when they’re together.”

Rey shrugged. “Sure, I guess.”

“Well, how about you move in.”

Rey laughed. “I’m sorry, I must not have heard you right. I think you just said I should move in not ‘maybe we should take turns with the puppies.’”

“No, I said the first one.”

“That is utterly ridiculous. First of all, there is no way I can afford even half the rent here.”

“It would be utilities.”

“Come again?”

Ben kicked his foot out. “I own the place. Actually, my mother does. She bought it when the building went co-op.”

“So you live here rent free-”

“I pay the mortgage. We can even split the utilities if you want.”

“Why are you even offering?”

“The puppies. Look I get it, we’ve known each other a few weeks, but as far as I know you’re not a murderer.”

“I can’t say the same about you.”

He smirked. “Cross my heart, I’m not. But the dogs get along and we get along. I’d rather have someone that I know move in than a stranger.”

“First of all,” Rey began holding up a finger. “BB is a shared dog. Second,” a second finger, “I can’t just move out. Third, man your place does not smell like boy as much as mine does.”

“I get it, if you don’t want to move in I can post-”

“Give me a minute, I want to think about this.” She did. It wasn’t a bad offer. It was entirely possible she would end up paying less than she did now a month for utilities. Finn and Poe could handle the rent on their own, and the savings would give her a little cushion. Ben was tolerable; he even put his dishes in the sink. It wasn’t a bad location either, it was on a bus route and close to the park for walks for BB. She took a deep breath. “I’ll have to talk to Finn and Poe about sharing BB.”

“So that’s a yes?” Ben asked hopefully.

“Does my door have a lock on it?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay. But I’m mostly doing this for the puppies.”

“Of course, the puppies,” Ben agreed. Rey could have sworn he looked a little hurt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I haven't said this yet but thank you to everyone who's given this story kudos and commented and subscribed. It's incredibly fun to write and it's pretty amazing getting all the emails. Thank you!
> 
> I do have a [tumblr](http://lariren-shadow.tumblr.com/) if anyone is interested. There's also a lot of Avatar the Last Airbender on there. ~~And watch as I keep reusing the same moodboard for this fic~~


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to politicalmamaduck for betaing this chapter!

This had to be the worst idea Ben had ever had. Well not the worst, but right up there. First he’d gone and developed a crush on Rey. Somewhere between her spilling coffee on him and her concern over Nines’ welfare, he’d grown to like her; even more than just like. And now she was in a chocolate brown tank top and shorts more meant for summer than fall, carrying boxes from the elevator into his--their--apartment without a care in the world. He’d known her for only a month, and she was moving in. 

Finn stood guard at the elevator, making sure the boxes they’d unloaded were safe. He’d side eyed Ben all day, which Ben thought was fine. When they were working together he and Finn had been at each other’s throats. Partially it was due to the fact that Ben thought Finn wasn’t living up to his potential. They’d ended up shouting at each other during a meeting shortly before Ben’s contract was over. He’d been slightly worried that his argument with Finn would affect his potential to have his contract renewed but it hadn’t. At least, that’s what he told HR during his exit evaluation. When FO asked him back, Ben assumed he’d done a good job despite whatever complaints Finn had made out of him. 

Once the last box was inside, Ben let Nines and BB out of his room. The dogs scurried out and went to their food bowls, both happily eating. He’d finally noticed Nines’ new belly, physical proof she was carrying puppies. 

“That’s the last of them,” Finn said as he sat on the couch. “You sure you want to move in?”

Rey rolled her eyes. “Actually no, changed my mind. Let’s move all the boxes back downstairs and back to the other apartment.”

Finn hopped up. “Ready when you are.”

“I was joking. Look, I told you this was a better deal for me.”

“Yeah, but it’s Kylo Ren.”

“Who got me pumpkin spice cookies the other day. I’m a big girl who can take care of myself. If I want to come back, I will.”

“Fine.”

“Finn, it’s not like we’re not going to see each other. You guys get BB two days a week and walks whenever you want.”

“And first choice of the puppies,” Finn added.

“Right, first choice of the newborn fluff balls.” She hugged Finn. “I promise I’ll be fine. Plus, I’m only a text away.”

“Yeah, yeah. You do realize we might have to rent out your room, right?”

“I know Wex has been begging for you to let him move in, and now you have an open space. It will be fine.”

“He has.” Finn placed his hands on her shoulders. “See you tomorrow, and if you really want to move out I’ll be over in a flash, traffic permitting.”

Ben waited for Finn to go before moving from his spot by his bedroom door. “So you’re here.”

Rey smiled. “I am. There’s even shelves for me in the bathroom.”

Ben felt his ears heat up. “Figured you’d want some space to put your things. There’s also two drawers under the sink free for, you know, lady things.”

“They’re called pads and tampons, Ben.”

“I know! But also things like a hair dryer or curling iron or-”

“I don’t own a hair dryer.”

“Excuse me?”

Rey shrugged. “Never bothered to get one.”

“How do you dry your hair?”

“I let it dry or someone I live with has one and I borrow it.”

“I have one if you need it,” Ben offered.

“I had a feeling you would.” 

Ben looked around, trying to think of something else to say. “I’m going to finish unpacking.”

“Right! That sounds good. And later I’ll order dinner.”

“Do you ever cook?”

“Sometimes,” Ben admitted, “but not often.”

“I’ll make you dinner sometime.”

“I’d like that,” he replied, a little bit too excited at the prospect. “Anyway, make yourself at home, I have to go into the office for a little-”

“It’s Saturday.”

“There’s also no one there and I can get things done. I’ll be back later.”

“Have fun,” Rey said with a hint of sarcasm. 

Going to the office was the best lie he could come up with. The truth was he wanted to give Rey some space to unpack without hovering over her. He couldn’t take the dogs out; the pair had a long walk in the morning while Rey and Finn loaded boxes into the rented car to bring them over. He wanted her to feel comfortable and was entirely certain she wouldn’t if he was there all day.

He got the minimum amount of work done he’d wanted to before giving up and surfing the internet for two hours until he convinced himself it was a good time to go home. Four hours should be enough time for her to get situated. He hurried home, debating the merits of Thai food over Indian in his head.

He dropped his backpack as soon as he opened the door. Nines and BB both ran over to greet him, happily barking and running around his legs. There were plants everywhere. On the windowsill, his dining room table, the coffee table, even the kitchen island had a small plant. Everything was green.

“I put out a few of my plants,” Rey said as she emerged from her room. “I hope you don’t mind.”

“Dog friendly?” He asked, looking at the tiny succulents that now graced his coffee table.

“Every single one of them. Finn and Poe weren’t big fans. I can move them into my room if you want-”

“I love them,” he said quickly. 

“Good! I also took BB and Nines out a little while ago for a quick walk. Oh and there’s pizza on the way.”

“I was going to get dinner.”

Rey smiled. “You’re actually doing me a huge favor with this almost no rent situation. It’s really the least I can do.” For a second Ben’s brain went to a list of other things Rey could do, but he quickly stopped thinking along those lines. There was no reason to think like that; she was his friend and roommate. Or just roommate. 

Rey flopped down on the couch and BB hopped up to join her. “No,” Ben said sternly.

“No what?”

“Down BB.” BB looked at Ben and huffed before putting his head on Rey’s lap. “No dogs on the furniture.”

Rey snorted. “Good luck with getting BB to agree to that. We all tried to train him to not go on the couch and this is the one thing BB won’t stop doing. Isn’t that right BB?” Rey asked in a singsong voice as she scratched his head. Ben had a zero tolerance policy with Nines on his furniture. He wasn’t thrilled that the orange mass that was BB was going to be all over his things.

He sat down in his arm chair, trying to think of a way to tell Rey this had to change when Nines trotted over. She looked up at him and whimpered, pawing at his leg. He tried really hard to think of all the reasons why he shouldn’t let Nines on his furniture and how much he liked his nice clean apartment. She pawed at him again and he sighed and picked her up, setting her on his lap. She happily licked his hand as he adjusted her, noticing her extra weight. “This isn’t going to be a normal thing,” he told her.

“You do realize that your ‘no dogs on the furniture rule’ is over, right?”

Nines nuzzled into his chest. “Unfortunately.”

~*~*~

Rey had lived with male roommates before. In fact, she’d had more male roommates than female. She was used to their idiosyncrasies and could usually navigate them. 

Ben was different. He cleaned up after himself more (there was hardly anything amiss in their shared bathroom, not even a toothpaste stain), he did dishes or put them in the dishwasher, he took out garbage without being asked, and he didn’t leave his jacket lying around (though the last one, Rey guessed, was because it was a rather nice jacket). The only universally male thing he did was walk out of the bathroom with just a towel around his waist. 

She should have known. She should have prepared herself. Yet her second morning there, when he came out of the bathroom in just a towel, she felt her brain stop. Sure, she’d admit at night, alone and only to BB that he was attractive. He was also nice, even if she did notice that he’d complain about minor things (people leaving trash on top of trash cans, and other first world problems). But then she saw him like that. There was a part of her that knew he went to the gym, but she’d never actually seen anyone with an eight pack before. It was even more impressive considering what he ate. When she moved in, one of the less savory jobs she’d tasked herself with was cleaning out his fridge. While it wasn’t as bad as she’d seen her previous fridge, there were some relatively old take out cartons in there that may or may not have moved on their own.

“Morning,” Ben muttered before shuffling off to his room.

Rey ran her finger under her nose, certain it was bleeding. She had not expected that display.

For entirely other reasons that were not getting to see Ben in a towel each morning, Rey began to wake up earlier. She even took to making coffee for them; sometimes he'd come and grab his cup right after the shower. After a week it was becoming routine.

Saturday morning she got up, made coffee and told BB and Nines she was not waiting for Ben to come out of the shower. “I just think it's nice to have coffee ready,” she said. The dogs wiggled their tails at that. 

Rey froze when she heard the lock turn. As far as she knew only she and Ben had keys. Maybe it was the super; she hadn't called him, but maybe Ben had. It couldn't be his old roommate, her key was his. She stood still as the door opened.

An older woman, her fading to grey brown hair that somehow went perfectly with her stylish brown dress, entered. Nines barked and scampered over to the woman. BB quickly followed. The dogs jumped on the woman's legs before she bent down to pet them. “You must be the father of Nines’ puppies,” she said as she scratched BB’s ears.

The woman looked up and saw Rey. “Ben didn't mention you.”

“I'm BB’s owner, well, one of them,” Rey said, suddenly self conscious of the ratty t-shirt and linen sleep shorts she was wearing.

Ben chose that moment to leave the bathroom. “Mom, I didn't know you were coming over today,” he said.

“Obviously. Aren't you going to introduce me to your girlfriend?”

Rey felt her face heat up but felt a little better when she saw Ben's chest go red as well. “She's my roommate,” he corrected. “Rey, this is my mother.” He waved his hand in his mother’s direction.

“Nice to meet you, Mrs. Solo,” Rey said weakly, refusing to move from the kitchen.

“It’s actually Ms. Organa, but call me Leia. You,” she looked at Ben, “and I are going to have a talk after I take Nines and her paramour out on a walk.”

Rey stood still as Leia attached the dogs’ leashes to their collars and waved to the two of them. 

As soon as the door shut Ben held up his hands. “I swear I didn't know she was coming over.”

“I believe you. I'm just, uh, going to go get dressed.” She rushed past him and quickly closed the door to her room. She sank to the floor and put her head in her hands. It wasn't too bad. He'd told his mother they were just roommates.

She ignored the little pang of hurt in her chest at that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok usually I update on Wednesdays and Saturdays but this Saturday the second Reylo Fanfiction Anthology: Celebrate the Awakening is released. I'm going to aim for Sunday or Monday for the next chapter. Also this is taking longer than I thought, as you can see the chapters are getting longer.
> 
> Thank you again for reading and commenting!


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you, as always, to the incredible politicalmamaduck for betaing this. Go check out her Celebrate the Waking piece too!

“This restaurant loves dogs,” Leia said, one hand holding both dogs’ leashes, the other on Rey’s back steering her. 

“Mom, you really didn’t have to take us out to lunch,” Ben said, for what he thought was the five thousandth time.

“Nonsense, Ben. I know how you live and it will be a miracle if you have any food that wasn’t delivered in your house.”

“There is,” Rey said.

“Did you buy it?” Leia asked. Rey nodded. “I rest my case. Also, take note, Ben: she likes real food.”

“She also eats mac ‘n’ cheese from a blue box, don’t think she’s a paragon of healthy eating.” Rey stuck her tongue out at him.

They were seated quickly outside. Bowls of water were quickly brought for the dogs; the menu even included a dogs section. Ben watched Rey bite her lip as she looked it over. He knew that face; she made it whenever they were ordering food for delivery. She was debating about which of the least expensive things to have.

“Get whatever you want,” Leia said, “my treat, since you’re having my grandbabies.” Rey choked on her water.

“Mom!” Ben shouted.

“It’s your fault I’m thinking of the puppies that way.” 

“He did?” Rey asked.

Leia nodded. “He called me up and said I would be a grandmother. I knew he wasn’t dating anyone, so of course my first thought was who the hell he knocked up. My second thought was that I taught him better than that.”

“Mom,” Ben warned.

Leia didn’t even blink. “Taught him how to use a condom the first time I noticed stains on his sheets. Even took him to buy them when he turned eighteen.” Ben put his head in his hands as Rey laughed.

“He still buys them,” Rey said.

Ben looked up. “How do you know?”

“You keep them in the bathroom.”

“At least keep them in your bedroom,” Leia chided, “unless you have a thing for having sex in the bathroom.”

“I’m not having this conversation.”

“Fine. Rey do you find Ben attractive?” Ben prayed for something to kill him. He’d thought at thirty he would be less embarrassed by his mother, but it appeared that wasn’t going to be the case.

“Uh, yeah, sure,” Rey said. Ben immediately looked at Rey, who refused to meet his eyes. 

“Really? Even with his ears?”

“Mom!”

“Ben, you came out of me and I’m sorry you somehow got those big ears, but you only have so much hair to hide them.” 

“I think they’re cute,” Rey said.

“You don’t have to say that,” Ben murmured. 

“I mean it.”

Leia smiled. “Good.” Ben glared at her. “That you’re getting along. Those puppies are going to be a handful.”

“Ben mentioned you raised corgis as a kid?”

“I did. They’re sweet, but any baby is a handful. He mentioned that BB isn’t a carrier for degenerative myelopathy, which is good. I’ve seen it in a few dogs. What Ben hasn’t told me is what you do.”

Ben watched Rey explain her jobs and schooling. He loved how her face lit up when she talked about her thesis topic, but hated how it fell when she started talking about deadlines. She described every plant she cared for in detail, down to the number of flowers on a particularly finicky plant. He’d heard a lot of this before, over dinner in their apartment or on their walks. And he’d remembered almost everything.

“My IT business is a little less frequent, but it pays the best. People will pay more than you think to have their electronics fixed,” Rey finished as their plates were taken away. “Shit,” she muttered as she looked down at her phone. “Sorry, there’s a text from the manager of the greenhouse asking if I can come in. They have a tour coming in and the person that was supposed to lead it called out.”

“Go, I’ll stay with Ben,” Leia said.

“See you back home,” Ben add.

Rey waved before dashing off. Ben watched her until he couldn’t see her anymore. 

“So, when are you going to ask her out?”

“Never,” he said. Leia smacked the back of his head. “What was that for?”

“You two have been making eyes at each other this whole time. She’s interested and interesting. And she has a corgi.”

“She was just saying that because you’re my mother.”

“Sweetheart, no one says your ears are cute, even if it’s in front of me. Do you not like her?”

“I do,” he admitted. It felt good to admit it aloud. 

“Then do something about it.”

“Like what? Take her on my motorcycle for a joyride after aggressively teasing her for months?”

Leia pointed her finger at Ben. “You wouldn’t exist if your father hadn’t done that.”

“I’m just saying that’s not-”

Leia held up her hand. “I don’t want to hear it. I’ve heard both you and Han discuss each other and critique the other’s life choices enough for one lifetime. Get a girlfriend and discuss it with her.”

“Again, how do I do that?”

“You’ve had a girlfriend before, figure it out.”

“Yes, but what if she says no? Then it’s awkward that we live together and she’ll know I like her-”

“Ben, sweetheart,” Leia said softly as she placed her hand on Ben’s. “You have nothing to worry about. I’m sure you already know what to do to make her happy.”

“I really don’t,” Ben said.

“Well, then you’re shit out of luck. Nines is doing well?”

“The vet says she’s in good health and the puppies are growing nicely. She can go into labor any time in the next two weeks.”

“Get her a second dog bed for the puppies, plus towels, puppy bottles, formula, and extra food.”

“The vet gave me a whole list, Mom. You don’t have to remind me.”

“Yes, I do. Just think of this as practice for when Rey is about to have your first kid and I give you a much longer list of everything a baby needs.”

“Mom!”

~*~*~

Rey currently hated everyone and everything. Her most recent IT client was the most annoying person she’d ever met and if he would just let her put some of his old files on a flash drive as opposed to taking up memory on his computer, things would work better. However, he wanted her to just install more memory, which she could do, but he kept insisting she could download it as opposed to physically putting it in the computer. Then her advisor wanted her to do some massive rewrites on her thesis, to be done within a few days. She’d stayed up all night working on it, BB whimpering on her bed because Nines wanted to sleep elsewhere and the light was keeping him up. 

To top it all off, her favorite plant at the greenhouse had a blight and she was doing everything to save it, but it wasn’t working. All she wanted to do was crash, but she had to get things ready for the puppies. Ben still hadn’t gone to get the supplies. It was almost like living with Finn and Poe again, except slightly cleaner. 

She opened the door to her apartment, hoping for a nap before making some semblance of dinner, then checking how late the pet store was open to make sure she could get the supplies for the puppies. BB and Nines rushed to greet her, Nines falling behind with her extra weight. They barked happily as Rey scratched their ears.

“You’re back late,” She heard Ben say.

“Yeah, long day.” She dropped her bag on the ground after she closed the door. “And about to get longer.”

“Oh?”

“I have to get the stuff for the puppies,” she said through clenched teeth.

“No, you don’t.”

“Ben you haven’t-” The words died on her lips as she spotted the new dog bed in the corner.

“I got them today. Sorry it took so long, but I wanted to research which was the best. I’ve sterilized the bottles too and have probably more cans of dog formula than we’ll ever need.” Rey felt tears sting her eyes. Ben had just wanted the best for the puppies. “I also made dinner. Actually made it this time.”

Rey stood slowly and turned to look at Ben. His hair was long enough to be back in a small ponytail which made his ears stick out more. His black shirt had some cooking stains on it which was oddly right. She walked to the kitchen and stopped in front of him. 

“Are you all right, Rey?” 

She nodded before hooking her hand around his neck and pulling him down for a kiss. She hadn’t intended to kiss him, but she’d wanted to for awhile. It wasn’t that romantic; his lips took a few seconds to soften and as she turned her head slightly his nose bumped into hers awkwardly. 

She pulled back and looked at him. 

“So you’re fine?” He asked.

“Shut up,” she replied as she moved back. “Look I’m sorry I-”

Ben pulled her close. “Don’t apologize,” he said. He bent down to kiss her, and this time it was better. He moved his mouth just so which caused Rey to groan. They pulled apart again. 

Rey bit her bottom lip and looked up at him. “Is there anything cooking?”

“I have stuff in the oven to keep it warm, why?”

“You should go to the bathroom.” Ben raised his eyebrow. “There’s something you’re going to need in there.”

“What am I going to need?”

“A condom.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah I know that was kind of mean and the next chapter will up the rating. That said I'm going on a business trip to Germany this weekend so hopefully I can update.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here is the smut chapter!

Rey grabbed Ben’s hand and tugged him towards her room. “We’ll stop on the way.”

“Rey, wait,” Ben said, planting his heels.

Rey stopped to look at him. “Do you not want to?”

“Do you?” Ben asked.

Rey rolled her eyes. “I’m the one who told you to get a condom, Ben. I don’t want to end up like Nines.”

“You didn’t say you wanted to.”

Rey looked him in the eyes. “I want to have sex with you. Preferably tonight, if you don’t think the food will burn. I’d rather not have a house fire caused by sex. Do you want to have sex?”

Ben quickly shook his head. “No, I want to.”

Rey tugged on his hand again. “Then let’s go.”

“What I’m trying to say is this is a little fast. We should date first.”

“Ben, there is a whole app basically for one night stands. In those terms, we have been moving slowly. And we have been dating, kind of. We’ve gone on walks together almost every day, you’re the person I tell about my day, and I’ve even met your mother. We’re living together.” She laughed softly. “We’re much more of a couple than most couples.”

“Well, when you put it like that.” Rey shrieked as Ben picked her up. “I’ve been trying to figure out how to ask you out.”

“Really? You haven’t seemed interested,” she said as she wrapped her arm around his neck.

“Most of the time I’m not good with people. Ask Finn about it sometime.”

“Heard all about it. Bathroom!”

Ben stopped walking. “You screamed in my ear.”

“If you do this right, then I’ll be doing it again later, but I told you, you need a condom.”

“I’m clean,” Ben said. “Unless you’re not.”

“I am, but like I said: I don’t want to end up like Nines.”

Rey thought Ben’s look of confusion was hilarious. “A dog?”

“Pregnant,” she corrected.

“You’re not on birth control?”

Rey rolled her eyes. “I’ve had a bad reaction to the pill. Once was enough to turn me off to it. So get a condom.”

“They’re where we’re going,” he blurted out.

“You moved them?”

Ben’s ears went red. “I didn’t like the fact that my mom knew where I kept my condoms.”

Rey nodded. “Got it. So shall we proceed to the bedroom?”

Ben turned towards the living room. BB and Nines looked up. “You two stay.” They lowered their heads.

“That’s cute.”

“I don’t want to be called cute right before sex.”

Rey tugged on the hair on the back of Ben’s neck. “You keep talking and we might not be having sex tonight.”

“Then I better shut my mouth.” Rey nodded as Ben carried her into his room. He kicked the door closed behind him and smiled. “I don’t want the dogs interrupting. Nines likes to sniff around.” He set Rey down on the bed. 

“I told you about talking,” Rey warned.

“Then shut me up.”

Rey laughed out loud. “Okay, that was good.”

“Stop laughing,” Ben said, leaning in close.

“No,” Rey said, grinning. Ben leaned down to kiss her. She still giggled a little until he sucked on her bottom lip. She silently thanked whoever taught him how to kiss as she moaned into his mouth.

“I got you to stop laughing,” he said, pulling back. Rey slapped his shoulder lightly before pulling off her charcoal grey shirt. She felt slightly self conscious about her already worn twice this week white lace bralette, but hoped he couldn’t tell that. “Is this my reward?”

“If you want,” she said in as coy a voice as possible. He pulled her back into a kiss. Rey ran her hands along the bottom of his shirt before they snuck under to trace his back. As he slipped his tongue into her mouth Rey gently scratched down his back.

“Do that again,” he moaned between kisses. 

 

“Would work better if you took off your shirt.” Rey was suddenly bereft of Ben. Faster than she thought possible his shirt and pants were on the floor. “How did you do that so fast?”

“Practice,” he said before leaning in again. Rey fell back, her head hitting his pillows as he leaned over her. “You’re wearing too many clothes now.”

Rey lifted her chin. “So taken them off.”

Unfortunately that was easier said than done. “Take off the socks first!” Rey shouted as she tried to kick off her pants which were caught around her ankles.

“You could have said that!”

“I thought it was obvious!”

Once she was finally out of her pants Rey looked up at Ben. “Hi,” she said, biting her lip.

“Hi.”

“So, uh, we’re now down to our underwear.”

“Good observation,” Ben said.

Rey took a deep breath. “Look if you want to stop, now is really the time to say so.”

She followed Ben’s eyes as he looked down at his lap. She had very much been aware of how aroused he was, but she did want to give him a way out. “If you want to stop, then please at least let me have the bathroom first.”

Rey scooted closer and placed one hand on his shoulder as the other pulled the tie out of his hair. “I don’t want to stop,” she whispered into his ear. She shuddered as Ben gently bit down on her neck. 

“Good.” He trailed kisses up her neck as his hands gripped her hips. “But you’re still wearing more clothes than I am.” Rey felt his hands ghost up her sides before they traced the bottom of her bralette. He was going too slow for her taste. She quickly took off the silly thing and flung it across the room.

“Now we’re even.” Ben wasted no time in exploring her newly bared skin. Rey gasped as his thumbs traced her nipples, each touch sending a shockwave through her core. She whined when he pulled away and tried to grab his hands and put them back. Ben took her hands and pulled her on to his lap. Rey whined as she ground down on his erection, her nails digging into his shoulders.

Rey rolled her hips again, feeling herself get wet. “Rey,” Ben said in a strained voice.

“Yeah?”

“You keep doing that and this is going to be over rather soon.”

Rey smirked. “You sound like a teenager.”

“It’s just been a while. Plus, there’s something I want to do.”

Rey rubbed her nose against his. “What?”

“I want to taste you.”

Rey snorted. “That sounds cheesy. Plus you’ve had your tongue in my mouth.”

Ben gripped her ass tightly. “You entirely know what I want to do.”

“Then say it,” she whispered. 

“I want to eat you out.” Rey shivered at his words. 

She detangled herself from Ben and laid back on the bed. She took a deep breath and wriggled out of her panties. She slowly spread her legs. “Well, I’m not stopping you.”

Rey loved how dark Ben’s eyes were as he lowered his mouth and kissed the inside of her right knee. Slowly he trailed kisses up her thigh, nipping every other kiss. She whined as he gently blow over her core before kissing down her left leg. “Stop fucking teasing me, Ben and get to it!” She shouted.

“Bossy.”

“You lik-ah!” Rey threw her head back as Ben’s tongue circled her clit. Her hands gripped his hair as he started alternating fluid strokes with quick sucks. She whined when he added his finger to the mix. “Ben,” she moaned as she felt herself get closer to the edge.

She shouted when he pulled away. “Get back down there!”

“Hold on.”

“Ben, you better finish what you started!”

She heard him move around and the rip of foil. She watched him crawl back on the bed and settle between her legs. “Ready?”

Rey rolled her eyes. “You keep asking me that.”

“I’ve been raised to always make sure my partner is consenting.”

Rey felt warmth pool in her stomach. “I’m fully saying yes.” 

With that Ben pushed in slowly. Rey felt her muscles clench around him, feeling deliciously full. He moved slowly at first, Rey quickly matching his rhythm. “Touch yourself,” Ben said. Rey trailed her hand down her body to the apex of her thighs. Her fingers moved in practiced motions and she cried out when Ben hit the sweet spot inside. “Not going to last long.”

“Almost,” Rey panted, “there. BEN!” She screamed as she came, clenching around him.

Ben thrust a few more times before shuddering. He rolled over and pulled Rey to his chest. She felt the sweat begin to cool on her skin. Ben kissed her forehead as he pulled her closer. She basked in the afterglow and little longer before she tried to wriggle away.

“Where are you going?” Ben asked, voice husky.

“Bathroom,” Rey said as she extracted herself from his arms. She quickly hopped off the bed and picked up his discarded shirt.

“Why?”

“I’d rather not get a bladder infection.”

Ben watched her leave, feeling completely relaxed. He shot up and discarded the condom before falling back into bed. He could feel sleep coming when there was a sharp bark. Ben pushed himself up. There was another bark, this time more insistent. “Nines, go to bed,” Ben said. Another bark caused him to sit up. “Nines, oh BB,” Ben said as he saw the orange corgi by the door. “Go back to bed.” BB barked again and ran over to the bed and started pawing at the bottom. “What is it?” BB barked again.

Ben stumbled out of bed, pulling on his boxers as BB circled his legs. “I’m coming, do you need a walk?” BB barked again. He ran into Rey in the hallway. “Has BB ever acted like this before?”

“No. BB, calm down.” BB barked again. BB circled their legs as they walked into the living room. “BB, stop.”

Ben heard another whine that wasn’t from BB. “Nines?” Ben hurried over to the dog bed and crouched next to her. She whined again. “Rey, get my phone.”

“Phone?”

“I think Nines is in labor.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this took so long, I was actually in Germany last weekend for work and kind of lost track of time getting ready and traveling and the days of meetings.
> 
> I did wake up Tuesday morning to a bunch of messages about the trailer.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always thank you to politicalmamaduck for betaing and helping out with this story!

In hindsight, Ben was pretty sure they looked almost comical. After calling the vet, who insisted Nines be taken in in case of any issues, Rey and Ben threw on the first clothes they could find. He was sure he looked ridiculous running down the street, holding Nines in her new dog bed as she whimpered, the sleeves of Rey’s grey sweater stopping just shy of his wrists. He also learned running in lofers was a poor idea. Rey didn’t look much better: she still had on his shirt, now accompanied by his black jacket that was much too big on her with jeans and boots. Her hair was a mess and he was sure his was too, but that didn’t matter. The only one of their group that looked remotely presentable was BB, who ran at Rey’s heels.

Once they got to the vet, they quickly took Nines to the back to make sure everything was going to plan. Ben wanted to go, but they insisted he stay in the waiting room until they were sure Nines wouldn’t need surgery.

He paced as Rey sat, her foot jiggling. BB followed him like a shadow and Ben wondered if he knew what was going on. Ben walked his line ten more times (not that he was counting) before looking at Rey. Her soft smile warmed his stomach as well as his ears. “What?” he asked, stopping his pacing. BB kept moving.

“You look like one of those fathers on an old tv show,” Rey said.

“All I’m missing is the cigarette.”

“True. I’m sure you’ll get news soon.”

He sighed. “It’s times like these where I’m glad that I’ll be in the room when my own kid is born.”

He heard Rey suck in a breath. “What?”

“In the future,” Ben said. “I want to be there when my kid is born.”

“I, uh, I mean that’s great. I, well, always thought my partner would be with me if I had kids too.” 

Ben wondered what had gotten into Rey, but brushed it off. He had bigger things to worry about right now. He began pacing again and trying not to think about what was happening with Nines. 

“I’m going to walk BB,” Rey finally said.

“Have fun,” he said. 

“Text Leia if you haven’t already,” Rey said as she walked out.

“Shit,” he muttered before pulling out his phone. He sent a quick text to his mom saying ‘puppies are coming, you might want to see them grandma’ before shoving his phone back in his pocket. He was probably going to get a text from her asking him to stop calling her grandma until there was a human baby, but at least it would be a good distraction for him.

Twenty paces later Rey was back with BB barking for a treat. The receptionist quickly offered the dog one of the treats they had and smiled. With BB occupied, Rey rounded on Ben. She stood in his path and put her hands on his shoulders to stop him. “You’re wearing a hole in the floor,” she said.

“And?”

“And, so you know, you kind of freaked me out with that whole kid talk,” she said.

Ben had no idea what she was talking about. “Huh?”

Rey brushed a strand of hair behind Ben’s ear before tracing his jaw. “We just had sex,” she said softly, “and then you start talking about wanting to be there when your kid is born. It’s a little bit of a jump from the first time to ‘let’s talk about our future.’”

“Shit, Rey, I didn’t mean it like that,” Ben said. “I really wasn’t thinking.”

“Well, good. Kids is really much more a third sex time talk.”

Ben leaned his forehead against hers. “It’s usually a never sex talk for me. I don’t get that far.”

“You’re stuck with me for now. You texted Leia, right?”

“Done. Can it just be over now?”

Rey chuckled. “I don’t think so, but hopefully soon. Come sit down for a little.” Ben gripped Rey’s hand as they went over to the padded bench against the wall. BB hopped up next to Rey and placed his head in her lap right as she leaned her head on his shoulder.

Ben didn’t remember falling asleep. He did remember waking up with a huge crick in his neck and a wet spot on his shirt. He looked around and wondered what was going on before his eyes focused on a smiling woman in scrubs with cartoon dogs and cats on them. “Mr. Solo?”

“Yeah,” he said, his voice thick with sleep.

“Nines is fine and so are the puppies. They’re waiting to see you.”

Ben tried to stand up but felt something grab him. He looked down to see Rey still leaned against him with her arm around his middle. “Too early,” she mumbled before nuzzling his shoulder.

“Rey, time to get up, the puppies are here.”

“Tell them to come back in the morning.” BB hopped off the bench and started pawing at Rey’s leg. He began whimpering after she didn’t respond. “BB, just a few more minutes then you can have your morning walk.”

“I can take him out if you want, Mrs. Solo,” the receptionist said.

“Not Mrs. Solo.” Rey sat up and rubbed her eyes. “Why would you take him out?”

“Puppies are here,” Ben reminded her, ignoring the odd hurt at her refusing to be with him. 

“Puppies? Oh, puppies!” Rey stood up. “Yes if you could quickly take BB out and then bring him back too. They’re his puppies too.” She handed the leash over and turned to Ben. “Ready to see the kids?”

“Yes.” Ben took her hand as they were lead back into a room. Nines sat in her dog bed on the counter, with six tiny balls of fluff curled up next to her belly. She turned to Ben and he could swear she was smiling at him. “Hey girl,” he said, gently scratching behind her ears. “All these are yours?” She barked in response. 

The puppies mewed at that, and Ben thought they sounded slightly more like cats than dogs. “There are six,” Rey said. 

“Yeah.”

“That’s the most corgis can have at one time.”

“Really?” Ben asked as he looked over the puppies again. Four looked like they would have a mix of black and orange markings. The other two were solid colors, one taking after each parent. 

“From my research, yes. Fuck,” she muttered, “we need a whelping box.”

“A what?”

Rey rolled her eyes. “For Nines and the puppies. Helps her be able to nurse and keeps the puppies safe.”

“I think I remember those from when Mom bred them. Think a pet store has one?”

“I’m sure. We’ll get one today, but I have a feeling Nines won’t want to be moved for a little while.”

“True. Wonder when we can take them home,” Ben muttered.

“Whenever you’re ready,” The vet said as she came in with BB. She lifted the dog up on the counter to see Nines and the puppies. He went over and sniffed each one, seeming to approve of them. He began to lick Nines’ face after that, content with sitting with her. “Everything went smoothly with the labor and all the puppies are healthy. You will need to keep them inside for about a month and make sure they get their parvo shots as soon as possible.”

“Six weeks, right?” Rey asked.

“Right. We can schedule the appointment now as well as a follow up for them. Make sure you carry them in and out of this office until they’re done with their parvo shots.”

“Sounds good. Ben, can you carry them?” Ben nodded and picked up the dog bed. BB whined at the loss of Nines and his puppies, but Rey quickly picked him up and put him on the floor to walk. “We’re going home and then you can look at your puppies all you want.”

It was barely light outside as they walked back to their apartment. Ben began counting the hours until he could go get the whelping box. He made a mental note to call into work so he could spend the day with the puppies.

He hadn’t expected his mom to be waiting for him when he got home. “I brought a whelping box and coffee.”

“You’re amazing,” Rey said as she pushed passed Ben into the apartment. “Oh and pastries!”

“Figured you’d want some. That’s an interesting shirt, Ben,” Leia commented as he set down the dog bed next to the box. Nines stood and sniffed at the box, seemed to approve, and moved into it. The puppies mewed again but slowly, one by one, they made their way to their mother. Ben wondered how they could do that with their eyes closed but guessed it might have something to do with scent. “Did it shrink in the wash?”

“What? Oh, no it’s Rey’s,” Ben said, pulling at the sleeve.

Leia raised an eyebrow. “Rey’s?” She asked. 

“Yes, we, uh, got dressed quickly last night.”

“You were safe, right?”

Ben rolled his eyes. “Yes, Mom. And we both wanted to, and please no more questions about my sex life, and please don’t ask Rey any.”

“You’re acting like I want to embarrass you.”

“Mom, you’re the one who had my baby pictures on hand when I brought home my first girlfriend.”

“I know and I learned.” She smiled. “You’re my only baby and I want you to be happy. If they can put up with my questions, then they might be able to put up with you.”

“Love you too, Mom.”

“Leia, Ben, get in here if you want any food or I’m going to eat it all!” Rey shouted from the kitchen.

Leia raised an eyebrow. “She’s that hungry?”

“We ended up in the bedroom instead of having dinner. No more questions.”

In the kitchen Rey held out a blueberry muffin to him. He took it and kissed her quickly in thanks. “Does your mom know?” Rey asked as she popped a piece of scone into her mouth.

“Your shirt gave it away,” Ben said.

“It does look really small on you.”

“Very funny.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just had my first Troop with the Rebel Legion last night and it was a blast!
> 
> Also as you can see this is chapter 9 of 11. I have chapter 10 done, it's a little short but I'm going to add to it. Chapter 11/Epilogue is mostly written as well!


	10. Chapter 10

Puppies weren’t as much work as Rey thought they would be. Mostly because everything she read was about how they needed more time with their mother and their litter mates rather than humans. She did watch them interact and talked to them all the time. She didn’t want to guess what their heating bill was going to be this month, since they had to keep the apartment warm for them to be comfortable. Clean up was a little bit of a pain but puppy puddle pads were a godsend in her opinion. 

The only thing wrong was the dance she and Ben were doing around the subject of exactly what they were. They shared kisses whenever they could and had sex a handful of times (though BB and Nines did try to interrupt them once, causing Ben to make a horrible joke about doggy style), but there wasn't an official label yet. Not that she really cared, they could be roommates with benefits if that's what this was, but she wanted to know. It was probably silly, and maybe they were too adult for labels. She just wanted to know how to introduce him at her department Christmas party.

Not that she'd asked him to go yet.

Finn and Poe were currently visiting the puppies, making sure their chosen new friend was healthy. “You’re sure you want the orange one?” Rey asked again.

“He's BB the Second, of course I want him,” Poe insisted as he gently stroked the puppy’s head with one finger.

“She,” Rey corrected.

“BB the Second is a she?” Finn asked.

“Four boys and two girls,” Rey confirmed. “The other girl is the mostly black one with the orange on her legs. Ben offered a puppy to his mom too, who’s been a huge help.”

“Getting along with the boyfriend’s mom?” Poe teased.

“He’s not my boyfriend,” Rey said, looking away from her friends. “I’m not sure what he is to me.”

“You’re roommates and co pet parents, that’s not exactly indicating a relationship,” Finn said.

“You missed the huge hickey on her neck,” Poe said as he pointed to it. Rey felt her face heat up as she slapped her hand over her neck. “Didn’t know it was visible, did you?”

“Shut up, Poe. But no, I didn’t and I told him no hickies. Cover your ears, Finn.”

“Why?”

“Do you want to hear me talk about my sex life with Ben?”

“On that note, I’m going to the bathroom,” Finn said as he stood up.

As soon as he left Poe rounded on Rey. “You’re being safe, right?”

“Yes, Dad. We’ve had sex a few times and we do spend a lot of time together, but we haven’t said what it means.”

Poe patted her back. “This is being an adult.”

Rey swatted him away. “You could at least offer me some advice.”

“Get either Nines or BB fixed unless you want to go into the puppy breeding business.”

“You’re the asshole who wouldn’t commit to helping me get BB fixed and that’s the advice you give?”

Poe shrugged. “I’m getting BB2 fixed as soon as she’s able.”

“Oh good, we’re back to dogs,” Finn said as he sat down.

“We are,” Rey said. “But Ben is going to be home soon so if you don’t want to stick around then you should get going. If we do date,” Rey said as Finn made a face, “then you’re going to have to talk with him.”

“When it’s official, I’ll have the talk. Come on Poe, we’ll come see our girls later.”

Rey walked them to the door and waved them goodbye. She went back to watching the puppies, BB joining and interacting with them in his own way. He was currently nosing some of the puppies, making sure they were moving on their own. She was still impressed at how quickly they were growing and how each one seemed to be showing their own personality.

“You like them, don’t you?” Rey said to BB. He looked at her, tongue out and Rey could swear he was smiling at her. She scratched behind his ears and Rey laughed at the drool puddle forming at his feet. “Should I have a relationship talk with Ben?” BB kept drooling. “If it doesn’t go well, that means I might have to move out and you’d come too. We’d have to do puppy visits.” BB whimpered. “Yeah, I wouldn’t like that either.” 

Rey slightly jumped when the door opened. “Hey, Ben,” she called.

“When can we turn the heat down?” He shouted. “I have to take over five thousand layers off when I get home now.”

“When they’re closer to two months, I think. Text Leia to ask.”

“You have her number and I know you’ve been texting.” Rey didn’t want to admit that was true, but she had. Leia had offhandedly mentioned Ben’s birthday was coming up and Rey wanted to get him something he’d like. She had a few ideas and ran they all by Leia to check if he’d like it. While the two of them seemed to play off each other with insults at times, Rey was beginning to learn that’s how they expressed how much they cared.

“Just for a few things.” She took a deep breath. “So you might want to get a beer or something.”

Ben raised an eyebrow. “Why is that?”

“Relationship talk.”

Ben laughed. “What’s there to talk about? You’re my girlfriend, right?”

Rey felt her mouth open. “What?”

Ben stood up straight. “Wait, that’s not what we’re doing?”

Rey quickly stood. “No, no, it is, I think. I just didn’t know that was what you wanted out of this. So you’re my boyfriend.”

He smiled. “Yeah and you’re my girlfriend.” Rey grinned and ran at him, flinging her arms around his neck. She kissed him deeply, smiling into the kiss. 

She pulled back as her fingers played with the short hairs on the back of his neck. “You’re my boyfriend.”

“Boyfriend, doggy dad to the mother of the puppies, the only person who does the dishes.”

Rey hit his shoulder. “I do them!”

“Sure you do. Do you want to move your stuff into my room?”

“Why are we moving into your room?”

“Bigger bed.”

Rey sighed. “I guess I can.”

“Should we celebrate?” Ben wiggled his eyebrows as his hands squeezed her ass.

“I could be persuaded.” Ben moved to pick her up and Rey jumped out of his reach. “You keep wanting to pick me up, just let me walk Ben!”

“You have shorter legs so it takes more time for you to walk to the bedroom.”

“I’m fairly tall. Text your mother about the heat like I know you want to and then meet me in the bedroom.”

Ben shook his head. “I must like you if even texting my mother isn’t ruining my mood.”

“Or there is some complex there you should take care of.”

“Not. Funny.” Rey heard Ben say as she retreated to her bedroom. She thought about the clothes she had on: old silver grey sweatshirt and green jeans. Not to mention the ratty old bra and practical panties. She debated about a second before throwing off her shirt and rummaging through her underwear drawer for something more appropriate.

“What the hell are you doing in here?” Rey slammed her drawer shut at the sound of Ben’s voice.

“Getting ready,” she said. “Now go away.” She waved her hand at him.

“What more do you need? Your shirt is already off.”

Rey crossed her arms over her chest. “I want to put on better underthings.”

Ben walked over and ran his hands up and down her bare upper arms. “Rey, I don’t really care about your underwear.”

“You’re just saying that so we can have sex now. I know you’d love it if I were in lacy things all the time.”

Ben shrugged. “Sure, they look nice but do you like them?”

“Huh?”

“I got my first serious girlfriend lingerie once. She wore it but kept trying to scratch her boobs because the lace was irritating her. It kills the mood really quickly.”

“You’re okay with ratty old underwear?”

Ben rolled his eyes. “ I’m going to kill the mood again by saying that my mom always said to wear nice underwear because you never know who’s going to see it. I tend to throw out the ones with holes.”

“You keep bringing up Leia-”

“Shut up.”

Rey grinned. “You can make me.” He bent down and kissed her, slowing pushing her back to the bed. He gently pushed her on to the bed, joining her quickly after. Rey giggled as Ben reached around and unhooked her bra. “And you can go through my underwear and throw out ratty ones. But then you have to buy replacements.”

“All in black?”

“Some color would be nice!” She groaned as Ben began sucking on her nipple.

“But black would look nice against your skin,” Ben said before flicking her nipple with his tongue.

“A few things in black,” Rey conceded before pulling his head up. “But not everything.” She kissed him before he could respond, sucking on his bottom lip to keep him quiet. She spread her legs so he could settle between them. As she sucked his tongue into her mouth Rey rolled her hips to meet his growing bulge. She could feel herself getting wetter as he took the lead and ground into her, adding to the delicious friction his shirt was causing on her sensitive nipples.

Ben pulled back and Rey let out a whine. “Just getting rid of excess clothes,” he said as he pulled off his shirt. Rey quickly shimmed out of her jeans, throwing them to the side. She tried not to laugh as Ben tried to kick off his pants, one leg having gotten caught on his foot. Before throwing his pants to the side he pulled a foil packet out of the back pocket. “Can we talk about other birth control at some point?”

“Some point yes, but deal breaker for me is if you insist on something I don’t want.”

Ben nodded. “Noted and of course.”

She pulled his head down to hers and threaded her fingers in his hair. “You know, I occasionally heard stories about how you’re an ass at work, but you manage to say the right things.”

“I sometimes know how to behave.” His thumb circled her hip. “And sometimes I know when not to,” he added as his fingers moved towards her wet folds, gently caressing just short of where she needed to be touched.

“Tease,” she growled before reaching down and directing his hand to her nub. 

“Impatient.” He circled her nub, flicking it every so often. Rey kept moving her hips to get a little more friction. She let out a frustrated groan. She grabbed his shoulders and pushed him back. “Rey?”

She sat up. “On your back,” she demanded.

He raised an eyebrow as he laid back, smirking. “Like what you see?”

Rey grabbed the foil packet and ripped it open. “Very much,” she said as she rolled the condom on, teasing his base. She straddled his hips and slowly lowered herself down. “Fuck so good,” she hissed, clenching around him. He grabbed her hips, trying to lift her. She swatted his hands away. “No.”

She gripped his shoulders as she began to move, slowly at first then picking up the pace. Ben met her with equally desperate thrusts. “Ben,” she whined, feeling herself getting closer. She let go of one of his shoulders to play with her nub. Ben growled before batting her hand away. Before she could say anything he thrust at a different angle, making his pelvis hit the right spot. Rey threw her head back and shouted. A few quick thrusts and Rey’s world shattered.

Spent, she leaned down and rested her head on his chest, still clenching around his hard length.

“Rey?” He asked.

“Hmm?” She hummed. He thrust his hips. “Need some help?”

“Please.” She moved her hips a little and didn’t protest when he grabbed her hips and picked up the pace. Rey felt a second peak coming and started clenching around him. “Excited?”

“Harder.”

Ben did as he was told. 

“Ben!” She shouted as she came again. 

“Rey,” he choked out as he came a few seconds later. She collapsed on top of him again, feeling the sweat start to cool on her body. “You need to get up,” he said as he gently stroked her hair.

“Give me a minute,” she said sluggishly. 

“Fine. You know this was a good farewell to your bed.”

Rey snorted. “One last fling before I move into your room.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...about that long wait. I suck. I wanted to add a scene and, uh, life kind of ate me for over a month. After life stopped eating me I got to go to the premiere of Last Jedi in LA. WHICH WAS AWESOME. Even made the live stream a few times :)
> 
> Anyway I had a scene to add to this chapter and it took way longer than it should have.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you, once again, to politicalmamaduck for betaing this!

There were certain things Ben Solo could have gone his whole life without knowing they existed and been happy. Pumpkin spice Cheerios was one of those things that managed to sneak their way into his apartment, thanks to his girlfriend. Not that he minded, in reality. He just didn’t understand the obsession with the flavor; he liked pumpkin pie as much as the next person, but wasn’t ecstatic when the flavor appeared in stores again.

Today he arrived for their daily dog walk to find two new things he never thought existed: doggie booties and eggnog chai lattes.

“Try it before you say you hate it,” Rey warned as she handed him the cup. “It’s tradition that after the first snow fall you have to have one eggnog drink, and this is the best one.”

Ben looked at the light dusting of snow that covered the park. He’d never really cared about the first snow before, but Rey had excitedly woken him up last night to tell him it was snowing and she’d finished her thesis. They’d celebrated both, which almost caused him to be late for work that morning. “You’ll drink this if I don’t like it?”

“You can’t stop me if you don’t like it. Just try it,” Rey insisted.

Ben dutifully took a sip of the latte. “That’s one of the best things I’ve ever tasted,” he said.

“One of them?”

“You’re on the list.”

Rey rolled her eyes. “Haha. But you like it! And here,” she handed him four leashes. “You get Nines and half the puppies.” Said puppies had been corralled by their parents, waiting patiently for the humans to do something. The puppies, happy to be out of the house, started barking and pulling at their leashes and running around. Nines and BB barked in return and started trying to catch each puppy.

“You said they’re not okay to go out yet.”

“Remember that package I got yesterday? Doggie booties. Each one has them.” Ben looked at the puppies’ paws, and sure enough each had on what looked almost like a snow boot.

“How did you get them on?” 

“It took about an hour; Puppy 2 kept chewing on his and managed to get the back one off after about ten minutes. That’s why his is taped up.” Sure enough, the mostly black puppy had his boots taped on his orange legs. “I swear he’s going to chew everything in a few months.”

“We should really name them instead of calling them Puppy 1-5 and BB2.”

Rey shrugged. “It depends on how many we keep. Leia said she wanted one. I think she wanted the other girl, but I’m not sure. BB2 will be able to visit BB and Nines often, but not her siblings. Besides the one Leia has, I don’t want to name them and then give them away.”

“We’ll discuss it later. Now come on, let’s work some energy out of the dogs.” 

Though his ears were cold because he looked terrible in hats and he would never, ever, order an eggnog chai in public, Ben was probably the happiest he’d been in a while, just walking in the snow with Rey and the dogs.

~*~*~

“Caramel is the spring flavor,” Ben said as he handed her a honey caramel latte.

“It’s hardly spring,” Rey said as she took the drink, adjusting her hold on BB’s leash to be able to hold both. “It’s raining.”

“But it’s technically the first day of spring.” Rey watched Ben juggle his cup, umbrella, Nine’s leash, and Porg’s leash. The puppy had grown, but he’d still maintained his pudgy belly. “Why do I always get two dogs?”

“You have the bigger hands. You haven’t even mentioned their rain jackets.” Rey had spent a lot of time agonizing over which rain jacket to get for the dogs before realizing she was worried about a raincoat for a dog.

“They’re yellow,” Ben said, sipping his coffee. 

“Yes but they’re a nice yellow, right?”

“I guess.”

“Ben!” Rey almost wanted to laugh as he jumped at her shout and coffee spilled down his front. 

“What?”

“I spent time looking for these and all you can say is that they’re yellow?! You’re the one who was annoyed with the wet dog smell!” The dogs looked between their humans before tugging on their leashes to start moving.

“Rey.”

“Next time I won’t look for the stupid things at all! I could have been submitting my resume and trying to get a job but no, I was looking for stupid dog raincoats!”

“Rey.”

“You’re the one who wanted them in the first place!”

“Rey, you do realize you’re yelling about something utterly unimportant, right?”

“It is important!”

Rey watched Ben sigh. He looked at the dogs and commanded “sit” before dropping their leashes. The dogs obediently sat and waited. Ben wrapped his arms around Rey, pulling her close. She gripped her cup of coffee tightly, trying not to spill on his back. “You’re stressed.”

“I’m not-”

“Rey, you’re interviewing so you can hopefully have a job once you graduate in a few weeks. The fact that you’re graduating in a few weeks is stressful enough. Just know I’m here if you need to vent.” He kissed her forehead and Rey sagged into his embrace.

“You’re usually terrible with things like this,” Rey mumbled into his chest. “How do you know exactly what to say?”

“Mom called this morning after receiving twenty texts from you about dog rain gear. She gave me some tips.”

Rey snorted. “I should have known.”

Ben hummed in response. “So though I really don’t care about doggy raincoats, I’ll listen to you rant about them.”

Rey nuzzled into his chest. “Thank you. This morning’s interview didn’t go so well.”

“Then they’re idiots.”

“I wholeheartedly agree. Now let’s walk the dogs so I can go home and change for my afternoon interview.” Rey waited for Ben to pick up the leashes before linking her arm with his. 

~*~*~

“That is not coffee,” Ben said as he looked at the clear cup in his hand. It was too light for iced coffee, something he would have loved in this heat and humidity, and he had a feeling he wouldn’t like it.

“You’re correct, it’s iced tea with lemonade. Try it before you throw it away, I promise you’ll like it,” Rey warned as the dogs panted. Ben dutifully took a sip and was surprised he liked the taste. It was tart enough for him and refreshing. Rey grinned. “I knew you’d like it!”

“Yeah, yeah, you’re right. How much longer do you have for your lunch break?” he asked.

“Enough to walk around the park with you and the dogs, but if you could bring them home that would be good.”

“I can.” She stood on her toes and kissed him. “Should I turn on the fans too?”

“I don’t understand why you refuse to use the air conditioning, but please do.”   
Ben rolled his eyes. He hated having the air conditioning on when either he or Rey weren’t home, and she didn’t seem to understand that. Why waste power when you could have fans for the dogs?

“You don’t have to understand.”

“Fine. Let’s hurry up and walk the pups before we melt.”

Ben agreed wholeheartedly. He could feel the sweat begin to trickle down his back. While there was something rather enticing about the bead of sweat that trailed down Rey’s neck, he knew she was going to push him away tonight because it was too hot to be near each other.

He couldn’t wait for fall.

~*~*~

Ben had been acting strangely the past few days. Rey had tried to call him out on it, but he evaded her questions. She’d talked to everyone about it and no one seemed to think it was anything out of the ordinary. Rey, however, thought they were all full of shit and was preparing herself for a terrible break up talk. She wasn’t sure why, but it felt like that somehow.

She had agreed to meet him in the park this afternoon with the dogs and had told herself if he was still acting weird that she was going to be the one to break things off. She had even thought about how best to pack her things and what was going to be the best break up dinner.

Ben was waiting for her in their usual meeting spot, grey hoodie unzipped to reveal his usual black shirt and dark jeans, coffee cups in had. Rey took a moment to remember Ben like this, smiling at her and carefree. “Hi, Sunshine,” he said.

“Hey to you too. My usual?”

He nodded. “Pumpkin spice latte, extra whipped cream.” He held out the cup to her. “Let me take the dogs.”

Rey sighed and handed over the leashes. Her cup felt rather empty and she raised an eyebrow. “There’s really coffee in here?” She asked.

Ben shrugged. “Open it to check.”

Rey rolled her eyes, but did just that. She nearly dropped the cup. It wasn’t empty, but there wasn’t any coffee in it. “Ben,” she said softly.

“We met when you spilled coffee on me,” he said as he took her hand. “I thought it was only right that your ring was in a coffee cup.”

Rey couldn’t stop staring into the cup. The ring inside was simple, just a diamond on a gold band, but it was exactly what she wanted. She never wanted something large or anything flashy; she’d told him that one night after they’d polished off one and a half bottles of wine. She just kept looking at it, moved the cup around to make sure it was real before looking up at him. “I thought you were going to break up with me,” she said, hating how her voice hitched.

“What?” Ben asked.

“You’ve been acting strange and being secretive.”

“Well yeah, but that was because I wanted to make sure I got you the right ring. Finn said it was perfect.”

Rey looked up at him. “You had Finn help you?”

“Yeah, we’ve been talking and he wants you to be happy, so we’re working on getting along. Ring shopping helped, oddly enough.”

Rey threw her arms around Ben and hugged him tightly. “I love you,” she said.

“So is that a yes?”

“It is, you idiot,” she said with a laugh. The dogs barked happily.

“I think they’re happy for us,” Ben said. He pulled away from her and reached into the cup to take out the ring. Rey couldn’t stop grinning as he slipped it on her finger. 

Rey looked at the ring on her finger, feeling incredibly relieved. “This is perfect.”

“I did good?” He asked.

She nodded before kissing him soundly. “You did.” 

“Good, I can tell my mom I didn’t mess it up like she said I would.”

“You only messed up if you don’t actually have a latte for me.”

Ben’s cheeks colored. “About that…”

“Come on, then, you need to buy your fiancee a latte. Where are the dogs?”

Ben looked around. Porg was sitting by his feet, happily waiting for his humans to be done with that they were doing. “Nines?” He called.

“BB?” Rey looked around and saw the leashes by a tree. Rey ran over and saw BB on top of Nines, again. “BB NO!”

Ben appeared at her side, Porg right behind him. “We really should get them fixed.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's a wrap! Thank you everyone who's been following this and commenting on this! I'm glad you liked it and I couldn't have finished without the help of politicalmamaduck <3
> 
> Happy New Year and hopefully you'll stay tuned in 2018 to see what's up next!

**Author's Note:**

> Remember, this is cute in a fic but do get your pets fixed. Usually you can't adopt them without either them getting spayed or neutered too.


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